Why I Write & What Is My Process? | by Shannon

I actually never wanted to be a blogger.

I wanted to be a “real” writer.

You know, fiction, essays, articles.

Things that sounded “professional” to me last year.

So, I slaved over drafts of my novel and hit the forums to get some feedback because I didn’t have the slightest clue of what I was doing.

Little did I know, this would be the beginning of a new love affair with writing that has taken my hobby in a whole new direction.

“Get a blog!!” everyone seemed to be saying to me.

A blog? About what?
What the hell am I gonna write about?

“Write what you know!!” they screamed in all caps. Errm.

I’m 28. At the risk of sounding like I’m full of false humility, I really don’t know all that much yet, and even less about writing.

Could’ve written about project management, my day job, but I wasn’t really expert enough to be giving advice. I started writing fiction, but my first attempt sounded so trite I could’ve vomited on my keyboard.

No. It wasn’t working. It felt forced.

When something’s off, I just do the opposite. I started writing about whatever came to mind. No plan.

No sense to it. Just mindless blathering on the screen with almost no point whatsoever. It seems ironic to me now.

Most people start writing blogs because they have something to say, I started writing mine because I didn’t know what to say.

By not thinking things through, I realized I had a voice in there somewhere that wanted to come out.

I started writing about my experiences as an expat and a funny thing happened: I remembered a lot of hilarious stories and lessons I could teach.

Since there are so many “I tried this restaurant” or “I liked this place” blogs out there, Je Ne Sais Quoi blog is staying true to its inspiration: the anti-guidebook.

Though its origin was a how-not-to-do-Paris, I think everyone wants some tips now and then. I allow myself some room to break out of the format when things get repetitive or if my inspirational well dries up temporarily.

I try to organize posts a lot more now. All kinds of new features are in the works: give-aways, interviews, book reviews and more! I’m hoping these new re-occurring features will bring readers back, and with a little luck, boost the readership too.

The world of Twitter has opened up to me like Pandora’s box, and a lot of my re-occurring posts are tweet roundups that I find interesting, useful or funny.

I like to collaborate with other writers and that too can bring in new readers.

The best way to get your blog going is to work with your tribes and sub-communities.

Find your niche and write for them.

Publicize articles and writers you like, and the karmic wheel of writer-justice will bring good fortune your way.

Link: http://jnsq-blog.com